TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday signed into law the main elements of his “jobs agenda” for this year, which includes another small cut in the corporate income tax and changes in the state’s unemployment compensation program.

Scott also signed a measure to scale back the size of an unemployment tax increase due this year for nearly 460,000 businesses. The tax will still go up, but not as much as once anticipated.

The governor lauded the measures and said they would help his goal of bringing down the state’s jobless rate and attracting new jobs to the state. Florida’s current unemployment rate is 9.6 percent.

“The passage of these important bills is a huge victory for the future of Florida’s economy,” Scott said. “Let’s always remember everything we are doing is going to help families get back to work.”

Still the overall package is a far cry from what Scott advocated as both a candidate and during his first few months in office. Scott was rebuffed last year by the GOP-controlled Legislature when he asked for nearly $2 billion worth of tax cuts, including a sizable reduction in the state’s corporate income tax. The job creation plan Scott touted as a candidate called for eliminating the tax over a seven year period.

Scott, however, has been forced to settle for a much smaller cut in the corporate income tax. This year’s change will reduce the number of businesses that have to pay the tax by increasing the amount of income exempt from $25,000 to $50,000.

The governor contended that he could still accomplish his goal of eliminating the tax, but he said it was dependent on whether the state’s economy continues to improve. State lawmakers have confronted budget shortfalls during Scott’s first two years in office, which has made legislators reluctant to endorse the sizable tax cuts the governor wants.

The corporate income tax cut was included in a broader tax cut package that will cost nearly $120 million a year going forward. The legislation (HB 7087) includes targeted tax breaks, such as a one for a meatpacking house proposed for Marion County and others for expanding companies that purchase industrial machinery and equipment.

Lawmakers also included a reenactment of the popular back-to-school sales tax holiday. Between Aug. 3 and Aug. 5, shoppers will not have to pay state or local sales taxes on clothing worth $75 or less or on school supplies worth $15 or less.

Alan Stonecipher of the Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy, a liberal think-tank, questioned handing out millions in tax cuts at the same time that legislators were forced to slash $300 million from state universities, lay off state employees and cut back on health care programs to help balance the budget.

“They are making choices that suit them but I don’t think they suit the majority of the people of Florida,” Stonecipher said. “We keep having year after year reductions yet we give away tax money to a few select corporations.”

Scott signed four bills on Wednesday, including a measure (HB 7023) that gives him more control over regional workforce boards that control money for job training.

He also signed a bill (HB 7027) that aims to revamp the state’s unemployment compensation system into a “reemployment assistance” program. The law requires the state to offer training to individuals who score low on a work skills test..

The unemployment compensation bill also scales back a proposed tax hike for this year and will save employers more than $800 million over the next three years. The change means that the minimum tax rate this year would jump from $72.10 per employee to $121. The initial hike would have increased the tax to nearly $172 per employee. The legislation would also cap the maximum amount per employee at $432 instead of $459.

Businesses pay unemployment taxes that are used to provide benefits to those who are out of work. But the problem is that the trust fund used to pay those benefits has been drained due to the state’s high unemployment rate.

Since 2009, the state has been forced to borrow $2.7 billion from the federal government to keep the trust fund solvent. The state — which manages the trust fund outside of the regular state budget — has paid part of the money back. But now it’s paying interest on the unpaid balance, which is passed on to employers through a once-a-year assessment.

State legislators initially voted in 2009 to increase the taxes in order to replenish the fund, but have delayed the tax hikes in hopes the economy would recover.